Aristida purpurascens

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Monocots
Cladus: Commelinids
Ordo: Poales

Familia: Poaceae
Subfamilia: Aristidoideae
Tribus: Aristideae
Genus: Aristida
Species: Aristida purpurascens
Name

Aristida purpurascens Poir. in J.B.A.M.de Lamarck, Encycl., Suppl. 1: 452 (1810).
Synonyms

Homotypic
Chaetaria purpurascens (Poir.) P.Beauv., Ess. Agrostogr.: 30 (1812).
Heterotypic
Aristida racemosa Muhl., Descr. Gram.: 172 (1817), nom. illeg.
Chaetaria affinis Schult., Mant. 2: 210 (1824).
Aristida affinis (Schult.) Kunth, Révis. Gramin. 1: 61 (1829).
Aristida purpurascens var. alabamensis Trin. & Rupr., Sp. Gram. Stipac.: 102 (1842).
Aristida elliotiana Steud., Syn. Pl. Glumac. 1: 133 (1854).
Aristida geyeriana Steud., Syn. Pl. Glumac. 1: 133 (1854).
Aristida purpurascens var. minor Vasey, Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 1: 46 (1892).
Aristida purpurascens var. glaucissima Scribn. & C.R.Ball, Bull. Div. Agrostol. U.S.D.A. 24: 45 (1901).
Aristida tenuispica Hitchc., Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 22: 581 (1924).
Aristida purpurascens var. tenuispica (Hitchc.) Allred, Rhodora 88: 383 (1986).

Distribution
Native distribution areas:

Continental: Northern America
Alabama; Arkansas; Connecticut; Delaware; District of Columbia; Florida; Georgia; Illinois; Indiana; Kansas; Kentucky; Louisiana; Maryland; Masachusettes; Mexico Southeast; Michigan; Mississippi; Missouri; Nebraska; New Jersey; New York; North Carolina; Ohio; Oklahoma; Ontario; Pennsylvania; Rhode I.; South Carolina; Tennessee; Texas; Virginia; West Virginia; Wisconsin
Continental: Southern America
Belize; Cuba; Honduras; Nicaragua

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
References
Primary references

Lamarck, J.-B. & Poiret, J.L.M. 1810. Encyclopédie Méthodique. Botanique. Supplément. Tome 1. xviii + 761 pp. Paris: H. Agasse. BHL Reference page. : 1: 452.

Links

Govaerts, R. et al. 2019. Aristida purpurascens in World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2019 Dec 17. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2019. Aristida purpurascens. Published online. Accessed: Dec 17 2019.
Tropicos.org 2019. Aristida purpurascens. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2019 Dec 17.
USDA, ARS, Germplasm Resources Information Network. Aristida purpurascens in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service.

Vernacular names
English: arrowfeather threeawn

Aristida purpurascens is a species of grass known by the common name arrowfeather threeawn. It is native to eastern North America. One of the three varieties has a distribution extending south into Honduras.[1]
Description

This perennial bunchgrass produces stems up to 100 centimeters tall. It lacks rhizomes. The leaf blades are hairless, pale green, and up to 25 centimeters in length. They may become curly with age.[2] The panicle-shaped inflorescence has branches appressed to the stem, making it narrow. The awns may be up to 2.5 centimeters in length.[1]

This plant may be grazed when young but as it ages it becomes low in quality and even dangerous for livestock because of the sharp spikelets.[2]
References

Aristida purpurascens. Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine Grass Manual Treatment.
Aristida purpurascens. USDA NRCS Plant Fact Sheet.